| Ask anybody and the typical answer you will get is | | | | biggest opportunity with it being the largest such |
| that there is nothing in Alabama that is of special | | | | market on the Gulf Coast. Similarly for those |
| interest to the tourist. Yet tourism happens to be big | | | | interested in education and museums, there is |
| business in the state and is, in fact, the state's | | | | something for everybody. Natural history, political |
| biggest industry, generating well over $10 billion in | | | | history or military history - you name it and there are |
| revenue each year. | | | | museums that will satisfy your curiosity. |
| The key to Alabama's attractiveness as a tourist | | | | For culture lovers there is the Alabama Shakespeare |
| destination is above all its rural and agricultural | | | | Festival which is the only professional theatre in the |
| orientation punched with great hospitality, delectable | | | | United States that has a live-in acting troupe which |
| cuisine, top notch hotels and resorts, and a globally | | | | stages a rotating repertory of classical works. Then |
| well-known events calendar with many festivals and | | | | there is the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Musuem. |
| performances thrown in. | | | | Don't forget Ivy Green, the birthplace of the |
| For tortured souls tired of city lights, Alabama is the | | | | legendary Helen Keller. |
| place to reclaim your sang-froid. From the fresh, crisp | | | | There is a lot for sports lovers too. While the |
| air of the mountains and lakes of north-central | | | | Alabama Sport hall of Flame highlights the feats of |
| Alabama to the glistening sun-soaked beaches of the | | | | such sporting greats as Jesse Owens, the |
| state's southern Gulf coast, the state has a whole | | | | International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Barber |
| dazzling array of attractions to offer to the tourist | | | | Vintage Motorsports Park and Museum are a must |
| seeking solace in Nature's arm. It is also a state with | | | | visit for auto freaks. And, of course, there is the |
| a rich history and heritage. So, whether it is just a | | | | Birmingham Greyhound Race Track for those |
| weekend trip or a longer vacation, smart folks check | | | | interested in dog racing. |
| out Alabama before deciding where to head when | | | | For a state that has given us such literary |
| the well-earned break comes. And I say 'smart' folks, | | | | masterpieces as To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a lot |
| because a vacation in Alabama doesn't hurt your | | | | for the literary minded. But leaving aside the more |
| pocket - you can have a wonderful time at a much | | | | serious stuff, the stout-hearted tourist looking for |
| lower cost than comparable vacation spots! | | | | literary entertainment of the macabre kind can also |
| From museums to flea markets, from golf to motor | | | | try their luck at collecting the innumerable ghost |
| sports or greyhound racing, from battleship Alabama | | | | stories that Alabama folks are wont to tell. So, if you |
| to the US Army Aviation Museum, and even natural | | | | are looking for an outing that you can enjoy without |
| history museums and the estuarium at the Dauphin | | | | bothering too much about the hole in your pocket, |
| Island Sea Lab, Alabama has something to offer to | | | | think Alabama! |
| tourists of every taste and predilection. | | | | Jim Hartley recommends that you visit for more |
| For bargain hunters, Fleamarket Mobile offers the | | | | information on Alabama motels. |